Bad Day

So, it's been awhile. I go back and forth between babying and abandoning this blog. And I am just having a bad day.

Most of it, is just that I am in a bad mood. It's difficult to be in a good mood when the person you live with is always in a bad mood. And it's difficult to be in a good mood when you feel like your life is crumbling all around you. Nothing goes as planned anymore, and I am not sure how much more of it I can take. And on a bad day, it's just the icing on the cake when your children decide not to listen, not even once.

I have to go back to work next week. The cheer season is going to be starting up full swing. But I am stuck in a bad position. I have to be at practices, but I also have to drive Adam to and from work each day and to and from Fort Wayne twice a week. So, I am either going to have to quit coaching, or Adam is going to have to quit his job. Neither is a good situation. I can't be in two places at once. And I am getting seriously stressed about it. I don't know what to do.

I talked to a lady from Headstart....it's basically the preschool for the needy. And we are in strong need of this program. The school I want to send Alex to, we can't afford. But I was told that Heacstart will base qualification off of our last year of income. Well, if they do that, then we won't qualify. Why do they base it off of what we were making a year ago?? We don't have that income any longer, we barely make more than half of what we were making a year ago. So we will not be able to send Alex there, and can not afford to send him to a different preschool. I can not afford daycare for Alex while I am working next year either....we are in quite a pickle.

And it's all I think about all the time. I am stressed, and it just seems there's not a damn thing I can do. I snap at the kids. And the kids misbehave, so I snap at them even more. Just at my wits end.

Crazy weekend!

It has been a crazy weekend/beginning of week!

On Friday, I took the kids to the pool, they had so much fun as usual. And I took the opportunity to sit and chat with a friend I ran into. I am so glad the kids are both old enough to be in the pool and not need me hovering over them the entire time (don't worry, I still kept a very watchful eye on them both)!!

 Meanwhile, a huge storm front rolled in, so we had to leave. What happened next didn't seem like much at the time. We packed up and went home. I learned later on that the tip of the storm is all that hit our rinky dink town, but further south...chaos ensued. I massive storm went through that still (4 days later) has left friends without power and have forced many out of their homes until the threat of downed power lines can be neutralized. This is hard for me to imagine going through with temps in high 90's and low 100's.

Saturday, I went to the lake with the fam! It was fun and exhausting at the same time. We left in the morning and spent the entire day fishing, swimming, boat riding...but best of all, hanging out with family. However, I would say my favorite memory of the day was taking each of the kids kayaking. They loved it, and I got a great upper body workout!!

Sunday was actually pretty uneventful until later in the evening. My mom wasn't feeling well (she had been in the hospital earlier in the week). She had many symptoms of a heart attack, so I went to the ER with her and her fiance. The ER doc ran some tests and determined that she was NOT having a heart attack, but was kind of stumped as to what was causing all of her problems. SO he admitted her for the night. The kids and I went up to visit her on Monday, and they had a blast. My kids are weird like that and really love hospitals. But I can't blame them when our hospital has a totally awesome (and relatively unused) play area for kids. Anyhow...We think they finally figured out what was wrong my mom, and have it under control. She seems to be feeling MUCH better today. :)

A plus about today....I got to help watch my little teeny tiny brand new 2 month old baby niece. While mama took a nap since she had to work third shift.

I am hoping for an uneventful tomorrow; however, as I sit here I am remembering more items on the to-do list. Maybe I can find some time to incorporate a few things from our Bucket List.

We have no plans for the holiday, but I hope you all enjoy your holiday! What are your plans? Any fun traditions?

Enjoy your week and please keep those without electricity or access to their homes in your thoughts!

Bucket List

Without going into details right now (mostly because I want to write about something different), things are looking up for me and my family :) So thank you to everyone for your kind comments and generosity! You all have really helped to lift my spirits! XOXOXO

Sooo....
I have realized something recently....Summer is going by way too quickly! For some of my friends, they are just entering their summer break. But I have relaxed into that comfy spot on the summer sofa. The spot that is lightly wore in, the arm pillows are propping me up nicely, I even have a little foot stool to prop my feet on, and the warm summer sunlight is spilling through the window and warming my skin in the chilly air conditioned air.. Yes, I am talking about the two week mark (it's not actually here yet, I am two days early, but who's actually counting). We have quickly fallen out of our morning routines, and staying up late seems like nothing new. We are quite comfortable with where we are in summer break. It's that point in summer break where I am deliriously happy that break has finally arrived yet it feels like we have the entire summer to look forward to. WRONG!!!

That's the problem with the summer sofa. It wants you to feel cozy as if you have all the time in the world to spare. And then before you know it, it's two weeks until the start of the school year and we are running around like mad men trying to get ourselves organized for the school year...shopping for schools clothes, new kicks, and school supplies. And then that dreaded first day arrives. Well, it's not entirely dreaded as the kids still get uber excited about school...but I dread it because I am NOT a morning person by any means. If I were childless, I would be perfectly happy working 2nd shift, staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning, then sleeping until 2pm every day. But I DO have children, so sadly, I have to deal with early morning wake up calls. My SAHM days are a thing of the past, but at least I still have my summers. For me, summer is about sleeping in as late as the kids will possibly allow (usually 7:45), staying in my pajamas, until at least 1pm, and letting the kids stay up as late I can tolerate in hopes they'll let me sleep in longer in the morning (yeah right lady, in your dreams!!).

Anyhow, in honor of Summer being "nearly" over. I have decided to copycat some of my fellow bloggers and create a summer bucket list. And since I am one of those people who hates lists and finds them completely overwhelming...I [naturally] put a few things a top the list that I/we have already accomplished :)

: make homemade ice cream
: go on a bike ride (x2000)
: water balloon fight
: play in the sprinkler
: fly a kite
: wash our car by hand (a favorite of my kids)
: play at these parks/playgrounds at least twice
        - Moore Park
        - Washington playground
        - Imagination Station
        - Roseland Park
        - Lincoln playground
        - others that I don't know the names of...
: have a picnic at a park
: go camping (even if it's just in the back yard)
: make s'mores
: go fishing
: play at the pool
: swim in a lake
: PAINT with sidewalk chalk
: make our own Trunki Town
: visit the winery
: run in another 5k
: re-finish the antique desk I purchased at Goodwill (it will be awesomeness)
: garage sale
: lemonade stand at garage sale
: go "garage sale-ing"
: let the kids have a living room slumber party
: go to the library!!
: have a tie dye party with the kids and their friends!
: Zoo trip
: go bowling
: go to a Drive-In theater (sadly, I have never been to one and hear it's amazing, so we MUST go...this one should really be at the top of the list!)

Some of these are just for me, but most are for the kids and I to do together. I don't even care if cross everything off the bucket list, but it's nice to have a list of things to do and try our best to do as much as we can. When school starts back up, the kids will look back and think (hopefully) Wow! What a great summer this was!

So get off the summer sofa, join me, and make a Summer Bucket List!! If you've already made one, or have ideas to share, please add them in the comments!

Enjoy!!
Rebekah

Indoor summer fun??

UGHH...This heat is killing me!! It is {HOT HOT HOT}. Full sun, no breeze, and temps in the 90's.

My kids want to go outside and play. I just want to lay inside in the AC. This means sticking them in front of the TV all day for them to cooperate, and I hate doing that. Alex wants to go out and ride his bike, I am half tempted at bringing his bike in the house (if only we had more room).

We were invited by a couple of friends to go to the pool today which would have been nice, but I passed because I didn't have the extra money. They even offered to pay, and now I am regretting turning them down. At least I didn't tell the kids we had been invited...they would have been heartbroken.

I know there are plenty of outdoor water activities that we could do at our own house. I could turn on the sprinkler, or fill water balloons, or play Sponge Bomb (I game I saw on pinterest...linkity link), but I want to know what YOU all do to have fun INDOORS when you just don't want to brave the heat or have a water fight with the kids.

Please comment!! :)

My favorite park!

Yesterday I decided to take a break from all of the stress.

And I took the kids to a park that we haven't been to in a long time, let them run around, and snapped a few photos. It was definitely the break I needed. (Them too, I am sure!)

They played at the park for awhile, but then Kaetlyn saw the "climbing tree" (that's what I call it). We spent the rest of the time playing on the climbing tree. It's a magnificent tree, and if they ever cut it down, I will be very sad! It's perfect to play in, on, under, and around, and especially perfect for cautious kids like my own. I remember playing on it when I was not much older than Kaetlyn is now.

And this is my favorite photo of Alex. He sat there for quite awhile, I think he might like the tree as much as I do!

We have a few parks where we live, but none are as glorious as this one... It's kind of hidden, so I think even most of the people that live here don't know about this park. It's really quiet, with lots of space, and great for the old and young alike.

My favorite part is just watching the kids be kids.

Do you have a favorite park? And what are you best memories of playing with your children at a park/playground?

Make Me Laugh

Okay, so I had a bad day today. I mean, it could have been A LOT worse than it was. But as a person who dwells on the negatives, you can all trust me and just believe that I did indeed have a bad day. I won't go into details as I think some things are meant to be kept private. {I can't share every detail of my life...otherwise I may as well change the name of this blog to Facebook! haha} All jokes aside, I will say that some of the "bad" was work related and some was a whole mess of personal stuff. And I don't really want to badmouth my work for fear of retribution (hey! A girl's gotta earn a paycheck!(but seriously, who am I kidding to think someone from work will EVER care to read this!!)) And the personal stuff...well, I'd rather just keep it personal until I figure it all out, and even then, I may not blog about it.

BUT (in spite of me being a negative person) I do like to laugh. So, as of recently, my favorite thing to do when I am down is to peruse Pinterest's Humor section. Here are some of my favorites {literally, these things had me laughing until I cried!}

Sometimes I say to my children they drive me so crazy I could eat them--but now I know people actually do this! haha

 I seriously thought this lady was "nakey"  from the waist down!!! Almost had a heart attack, and then I nearly died laughing.

No caption necessary!

 I look at this photo often because it ALWAYS cheers me up, he he he

 Whoever thought of this is a genius, and I am going to resort to this so I don't ever have to clean again!!

 I say this to my kids all the time, true story.

I can't math either, friend.

If you were having as bad of a day as I was, then I hope these cheered you up a little.

Enjoy!!

xoxo Rebekah

Free Range Kids

Today, I craved a sandwich that I haven't eaten in YEARS! A peanut butter and Doritos sandwich. Some of you may gag at the thought of that combination, while others may be wondering how I came up with that concoction in the first place.

It happened years and years ago when I was a kid. My parents left me home alone during the summer months while I was off on summer break. While they were off at work, it was my responsibility to make my own meals. Basically, I was a young kid experimenting in the kitchen and trying to figure out a way to shorten eating time to be able to get back out and play with the neighborhood kids. My lunches usually consisted of a sandwich and chips, well, I combined them and...Viola, a masterpiece!

Anyhow, it got me thinking about my kids and summertime. I was a product of a time when kids were allowed to roam free without an elevated risk of abduction, getting lost or hit by a car. It makes me wonder what kind of summers my kids are going to grow up having as I have been known to sort of be a helicopter mom, meaning I hover over my kids every possible minute. This also means, my kids depend on me for absolutely everything.

I recently discovered a website about free range kids, and since then, I have been "free ranging it" in hopes that my kids will learn a little independence and confidence. I urge anyone who reads this to check it out. Free Range Kids isn't for everyone, but a lot of what the lady says makes enough sense that it was worthwhile to evaluate my parenting style, and you may think so as well.

We are starting in little steps. I think it's important to really consider your child's abilities (among other factors that may be unique to the area in which you live) and not what most 7 year olds can do unassisted. For instance, there is a kid in Kaetlyn's grade (but is about the size of my 3 year old) who rides a bike that is way too big for him without training wheels (or a shirt, yeah he's pretty bad ass) all over town. His parents, apparently, have been "free ranging it" for awhile. My daughter, ALWAYS wears a shirt while outdoors (hehe), and rides with training wheels, she is nowhere near being able to remove them. But the point is that I could NEVER let her ride her bike around town on her own, she would get totally completely lost. And I am fairly certain she has no idea what to do when losing herself happens.

But we are taking the steps to get there. We go on bike rides together (actually I walk alongside Alex) and I let her lead the way and allow her to determine when it's safe to cross the street. And I let her ride ahead of us. She loves this, and feels so grown up and important...especially when she beats us home. So she is getting there. But the most important part is seeing a more confident 7 year old.

We free range in other ways, too. Simpler ways. Ways that a weary parent could begin with his/her child. My kids have began picking out their own clothes, and I do not advise them differently...Hey! They've got to start somewhere, and I don't want to be picking out clothes for my kids even after they've gone off to college!

Alex picked this out today. His favorite shirt with blue shorts that have cream colored "Jolly Rodgers" on them. It matches in HIS mind!

I also have been allowing them to choose what they eat for lunch. They have chosen pizza sandwiches for the past several days. Normally, it would bother me to have them eat the same thing two days in a row, but we're almost out of pepperoni and then they'll have to choose something else ;)

Another thing I strongly suggest (when your kids seem ready) is to let your kids play outside by themselves. Even if you're sitting inside in the AC watching your kids through the window like a hawk. They'll surprise you. I did this with my kids, and guess what?? They stayed in the yard. They really did!! There is a whole wide world for your kids to explore in their yard, regardless of how much space there is for the kid to play. And kids really do enjoy being able to look for bugs, collect sticks, and play with their outdoor toys without mom or dad hovering.

Have a happy "Free Range" summer!!
xoxo Rebekah

So Far, So Good

Today I implemented the new chore chart. All I can say is that I am AMAZED!!! And I actually feel a little guilty since I haven't had to lift a finger. I explained the "Uh Oh Basket" to the kids and how it works. and I explained their new chores to them. Let's just say that they zoomed through a majority of their chores in about 30 minutes. Also, the Uh Oh Basket is working out really well. Several toys have gone in the basket, and several toys have been rescued by completing chores.

In addition to their daily chores, they also decided today to make their own lunch AND K washed the dishes while A dried them. I only had to put them away.

I know this won't last forever, eventually these chores will seem like as much of a nuisance to them as my chores did (and still do) seem to me. But right now, I am basking in it!

Anyhow, here is the Uh Oh Basket and their chore charts, again, completely stolen from Just Another Day in Paradise.

If you're interested in this idea, let me know and I will give you a list of the chores I used for the   Uh Oh Basket...I had to get REALLY creative as they couldn't be any of the same chores that were also daily chores. It took a lot of thinking, but I think I came up with a pretty good list.

Enjoy!!

xoxo Rebekah

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas!

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas!!

My new favorite thing in the world is Pinterest. I am seriously addicted, not unlike many of my fellow Pinners. Anyhow, I am seriously stoked about this new idea I found for teaching my kids to pick up their own toys without my asking. ( found it on Pinterest, but will link directly to blog it came from here.) The reason that it's so amazing is that if it works, my kids will actually keep their toys picked up and get chores done at the same time. WOOHOO Mommy heaven!! Also, the original blogger has included free printables {squeal} She has some really cool chore chart ideas that I am going to use too.

But the main idea is when I find a toy abandoned in the middle of the living room for example, I pick it up and put it in a special "toy box". In order for either of the kids to reclaim their lost treasures, he/she must draw a chore out of a jar that he/she must complete before their toys will be returned (one chore rescues one toy). AND here's the kicker, if the toy box is full, and I find more toys that "dreadfully" haven't been put away, they're mine to keep for ever, i.e. sent to live at GoodWill.

We are starting this tomorrow and maybe I will post pictures, but they won't be as good as the photo's posted in the link above. So check hers out because I am lazy! haha

Also, here's another idea I want to share with you all!! Laundry, I hate it. Like, really really really hate it. So anything I can do to simplify the laundry process, I am game. So here is my super fantastic wonderful idea that I am sure someone else has thought of before me, but since I am unaware, I will claim it as my own. :)

Sorting...eliminating this step makes laundry a little more pleasant. Imagine this, you've gathered all of your baskets or mounds of laundry and sit down in the middle of your living room to sort. Then you realize how much it blows because everything is super stinky from sitting in a pile all week. GROSS!!

I took four laundry baskets and labeled them each: Hand Wash, Whites, Colors, and Darks. Then I explained to the offspring what is allowed in each basket. My 3 year old needs a little help with this since he can't read, so I let it slide when his clothes only end up on the floor next to the baskets. But aside from that, we are sorting clothes as we take them off. AND here's the best part. Since each basket has a designated load assigned to it, I just grab a basket when it reaches the point of being full and wash it right then rather than doing ALL the laundry in one day. Woohoo, less work and no sorting!! :)

Enjoy!
xoxo Rebekah

Bloggers new look...

So, it would seem that I have been MIA for quite awhile. Almost a year to be precise! I can't believe how much time flies. But now that I am back and seeing the new look of blogger, I am not sure I like it. What happened to the wonderful layout I spent HOURS creating. Where are my pictures of my beautiful babies!?!?!?

Maybe I just haven't figured out all of the bells and whistles (or lack thereof) yet, but so far I am not too crazy about it. I will give it a few weeks to see how it all works, but otherwise I will be taking my business elsewhere! haha


UPDATE:
Okay, I see that my layout is still there. So I am guessing most of the changes are just in how you post and edit??

Bad Mommy Moment

I had quite a scare yesterday and it was definitely a "bad mommy" moment...

I was visiting at a friend's house and she has a son that is almost 5 but is nearly the same size as my two year old so I guess they think they're the same age and LOVE to play together. Usually when we go over there the two of them hop in the power wheels and ride and ride and ride...I would like to say they ride until the battery is dead, but not sure this is true. Sometimes they ride to the front yard, but my friend's son always swings back around to the back yard straight away so I allow it, but I always tell him not to let Alex drive because I am afraid that he'll drive into the street. I was sitting at the patio table chatting with a couple of friends when I realized all of a sudden that it was entirely too quiet. I knew they had gone to the front yard but usually hear the little John Deer zooming back to the rear of the house within seconds... So I got up and bolted to the front yard (my friend's son was headed to the back yard to alert me Alex was driving away) And I found Alex happily driving nearly ONE BLOCK AWAY!!! I started running toward him and was screaming for him to stop. To my surprise he listened, but I think it's only because he's never heard me screaming frantically like that before...it probably startled him. He managed to cross the street, but thankfully it was at a stop sign and he was not hurt!!! I yelled at him not to ever take off like that again, and he is no longer allowed to drive OR ride in the power wheels EVER!

Aside from the frantic screaming, I wasn't too hard on him because he is only 2, and it was my fault, not his. But I wanted to share my "bad mommy" moment so that you all can learn from MY mistake. I am very thankful nothing bad happened, but will be more cautious and vigilant in keeping an eye on him at all times. I usually am VERY watchful over him, but it just goes to show that letting your guard down for even a moment can lead to potentially devastating situations with irreversible consequences.

growing up so fast!!

Today my daughter shared some VERY exciting news with me. When she got home from school, she pulled me close and whispered into my ear. Not sure why she was whispering into my ear because it wasn't a secret...maybe she was whispering because she was so excited?? Anyhow, she said, "Mommy, in a couple weeks I get to eat lunch at school to practice for first grade!!". At first I was amused by the joy she got from this. Clearly, she felt grown up and excited to be doing something the "big" kids get to do. That's when it hit me, my baby, my first born, my sweet little girl is going to be in first grade next year! It made me realize how quickly time has gone by and that I need to do a better job at savoring the moment. I spend a lot of time rushing from one moment to the next, and haven't really taken the time to enjoy the fact that in this last year alone Kaetlyn has learned to read, write in sentences, tie her shoes (learned this skill on her own), add and subtract, navigate her way through rocky friendships, lost her first two teeth (about to lose two more!), has gained so much confidence, and overall has become a much more independent young lady. And while I couldn't be more proud of her, I wish I could go back in time to be able to enjoy everything at a slower pace!!!

glasses

Somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 years ago I went in for an eye exam (first in years) and was told I had astigmatism and would benefit from wearing glasses. So I bought my first ever specs, in fact, I purchased two pairs because I remember the luck my husband had with glasses. He would walk along and a lens would pop out, or as a baby, K would tug on them and rip them off his face and slobber all over them with her cute baby slobber. It turns out that I haven't needed to wear them hardly ever! Sure, there were times I could have used them, driving at night, for instance;however, I never had them with me, because they were always hanging on the lamp shade of the lamp that sits on the side table next to my bed....they sure did me a lot of good there, huh?? The problem with them is that I can't stand how they feel on my nose, and everytime my eyes itch, I forget that I have glasses on and end up punching the glasses into my face as I try to rub my eyes.

Well, suddenly tonight, I HAD to wear them. My eyes became very blurry, and I could hardly read the tv screen without them. Major bummer because I hate wearing them, and feel I look awfully dorky...like a total "four eyes"! ha ha

Anyhow, my first thought after putting them on was that since my eyes are officially "bad", my kids are screwed! Adam had glasses his whole life until he had lasik, and now I NEED them. Poor kids! I hate that as parents we pass on all of our bad genes to our unsuspecting children, and we have no control over it. It's like sneaking up behind them while they are innocently playing with their toys and scaring the pants off of them...THAT would probably causes less damage than the teasing glasses or braces would bring to the psyche. I suppose the glasses and braces, among other things, are what creates character...my kids sure seem to be destined to be blessed in that area! ha ha Good Luck K & A! <3

SO happy!

Alex's surgery went without a hitch today!

He did not want to wear the hospital jammies, in fact he threw a fit about it. I can't say I blame him, I wouldn't want to wear scratchy pajamas with PINK dinos, elephants, and whales! I mean, come on! You can't tell me they don't have blue for boys... Then his sedative started to kick in and he was able to relax....

Watching the nurse wheel him away was difficult, but I was so glad my mom was there with me. Whether she realizes it or not, she really helped me out a lot today. :) I couldn't have gotten through today without her. AND my sister who drove to our house at the butt crack of dawn with her 7 month old to watch K. :)

After he was finished in recovery, he was brought back to his room where he freaked out, mostly about the IV, but he quickly fell asleep and was in a great mood once he woke up! When we got home he was going full force the rest of the day, antagonizing and wrestling with his sister and....EATING!

He packed away a lot of food today! Aside from the hospital food, he ate: applesauce, banana, pasta salad, mandarin oranges, cookies, chips(against my best attempts to deter him to a different food), pasta salad again, and of course he was hungry for eggs. He BEGGED me to make eggs for him, and then he begged me to let him help(which I did under close supervision).

Another plus about today; Alex got a TON of new toys and activity type things from some of his favorite family members....toys that were purchased to keep him resting while he's recovering as he's not suppose to be up and running around. Hopefully tomorrow he lays around a bit more.

So glad today is over as it was a long and stressful day. And here's to hoping his recovery isn't as rough as I hear it's suppose to be, but time will tell.

surgery

My baby is having surgery tomorrow and my stomach is already doing somersaults! I know everything will be alright. According to the Encyclopedia of Surgery death from a tonsillectomy is very uncommon and about one in every 15,000 tonsillectomies ends in death usually from anesthesia or post operative bleeding....BUT it's the anesthesia that scares me! The truth is, you can't really tell how a person will react to anesthesia until after the fact, and that's scary to me. They could administer the anesthesia to him and he could NEVER wake up! But I am trying not to dwell on that too much, and am trying to focus, instead, on how I am going to keep him relaxing for the two weeks following his surgery. Too much activity is the leading factor in heavy post-op bleeding, and my bug is a very active 2 year old. I can see myself making a small investment into cars movies and easy craft projects geared for toddlers....whatever it takes! <3

No energy

Today, I have felt completely drained. I think it's because I have a lot on my mind as there are a lot of aspects of my life that will be changing soon...and thinking about it all of the time is wearing me out.

My mom has allowed us to live with her for the past two years (THANK YOU MOM), and we have done this for two reasons. 1) With Adam being in Japan, cost of living is too high for us to live seperately and still be able to afford the basics like housing and all the extra stuff that goes along with it, and 2) Adam is in Japan, I hate living alone!

I am currently "looking" for a different place to live as we have definitely overstayed our welcome(we were only suppose to be here for about 3-6 months, tops), and when my mom and her fiance move into their new house I don't want to invite myself along. The problem is, with Adam in Japan, we can't afford it! The other problem, another reason I am stressing out, is that he is supposed to be getting out of the Army soon. We are suppose to receive all sorts of benefits which will be helpful with paying bills, but I know how the Army is...we probably won't start receiving those benefits for several month if we're lucky! And jobs are slim-pickin's around here. I have been searching for a job for over a year now without any luck. So, I don't know how I am suppose to find a house to rent or buy without a job, and I obviously can't afford it without one either.

SO....I think this is some of what has been wearing me out. I think about it constantly. I napped a lot today, so hopefully that'll help restore some of my energy that I need for the rest of the week, but I didn't get much done today. I did fold a load of laundry, but it's still on my bed and I don't know if I have the energy to clear it off before I go to sleep! ha ha

I will keep trucking along, and hopefully I will find a lead on a job that'll be a perfect fit for me and my other responsibilities (kids, coaching, school)...but then I will be exhausted physically rather than mentally! ha ha

Easter

The Easter bunny hopped into our house and was out like a flash! My kids sure will be happy campers in the morning when they wake up! K has been asking me for an electronic journal for nearly 2 years now, so she'll be happy to see the Easter bunny left one for her. And A has been asking for a particular green semi truck for a few months, and guess what!? The Easter bunny left one of those for him! :)

We got this new type of easter egg dye for coloring eggs this year, and I was hesitant about buying them. There were gobs and gobs sitting on the shelf while all the old school cups with dye tablets were almost cleaned out. But I have to say that I LOVED them! They look like q-tips and when you break one end, the dye falls to the other end, and then you basically paint with them. The only mess my kids made with them was that they got some of the dye on their fingers, but I didn't have to lay out newspaper, and there was no dipping, spilling, or staining. And they were cheap at 97c a pack! One pack colors at least a dozen eggs, and there was still enough dye left for painting after we were done.

I am a little bummed that there are no Easter dinners or gatherings to go to tomorrow. I am used to going to Church with my in-laws, and then there's usually a dinner somewhere to attend. But not this year.... I always get excited about dressing the kids up, and hanging out with adults! They are adults I don't generally have much in common with, and most aren't anywhere near my age, but still...it's adult interaction! Oh well, we'll make the best of tomorrow. Actually, the kids probably won't mind not being drug from one place to another...

I know that Easter isn't about dinners, or cute dresses, or Easter bunnies, but it's the tradition that my family and I are use to. I do not come from a very religious family, so we don't normally take the time to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. But this Easter, amongst all the chaos of hunting for Easter eggs and eating Jelly beans, I will find the time to talk to K and A about His sacrifice, to take the time to explain the true meaning of Easter. And maybe by talking about the true meaning, we'll begin a new tradition of rejoicing in the sacrifice of Jesus.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!! <3

Lemonade Mouth

I realized today that I spend way too much time around my kids and not enough time around living breathing adults. The way I came about this realization: I layed my kids down for bed, then crawled into my own bed and turned on the tube. What was my show of choice?? Lemonade Mouth on the Disney Channel. After I realized I had been watching it for nearly 30 minutes...I still didn't change it to a more adult show. Albeit, it wasn't a cartoon, but still...I don't have any interest in watching television geared towards adults...GEEZ, I am SO out of the loop.

It's difficult for me with my husband being overseas, we don't get the opportunity to enjoy each other's company. I usually watch tv. or work on other stuff that needs to be done. I really don't EVER have the opportunity to disconnect from being a mom and just be Rebekah.

So my question is...Are there any other mommies out there that spend way too much time with their kids? Are there any mommies that enjoy watching children's television programs? And to those moms who are NOT on the same page as me, what do you do to disconnect from being a mommy after lights out?

A little bit of sunshine

Sometimes I wish I didn't live in Ohio. I use to live in North Carolina and it wasn't bad, Florida wouldn't even be bad if it weren't for those pesky hurricanes. Where I live in Ohio just has sucky weather. Most people would say that Ohio has a mind of its own when it comes to the weather...I am sure it has something to do with it's position in relation to Canada and the Great Lakes. Anyhow, we have more days with perciptation and clouds than we do sunshine, and we techincally are in tornado alley.

One of my biggest gripes about Ohio's weather is that the temperatures jump around like crazy. Take this for instance....It's been spring for a few weeks now and a week ago we had snow flurries and lots of rain and clouds...today sunshine and 85 degrees. Tomorrow will be cold and rainy again. grrrrr....It's frustrating having to keep my kids drawers stuffed with winter AND spring clothes.

BUT the kids and I did get the opportunity to play outside for awhile to enjoy the lovely weather while it's here. And I actually remembered to take my camera out to snap a few photos (I generally do not take photos of anything....my hubby and I forgot to take our camera to our daughter's birth. We remembered to take the camera for our son's birth, but forgot to pur new batteries in it).

So enjoy a little bit of sunshine <3

A quick shot before I let them loose:)

This kid loves his car :)

Sidewalk chalk...

Of course we rode bikes....

and we picked flowers...

perhaps they're just weeds???

One of my favorite things about warm weather....cute kid feet in cute kid sandals :)

The money shot! Kaetlyn does NOT have her eyes closed, Alex is looking AT the camera, and they both have their favorite sweet treats.

It's been a long day. I couldn't sleep last night because I didn't feel well, and had to be up early for Kaetlyn's soccer game. And I haven't felt well at all today, in fact, I spent most of it sleeping. Yes, even though I spent most of the day sleeping...it was LONG! Probably because the kids spent the day fighting like cats and dogs. :)

Yesterday, I took Alex in for his follow up appointment from his emergency room visit. He couldn't see his regular doctor because he's out of town or something...who knows. I was happy about this since his doctor wasn't concerned about his tonsils to begin with. This new doctor was VERY concerned about Alex's poor swollen pus covered tonsils and sent us up to the ENT. The ENT had absolutely no available appointments for us yesterday, but squeezed us in between a couple of patients anyhow.....SO GRATEFUL!!!! He took one look at Alex's tonsils/adenoids and said that they have to come out. I am nervous about this, but think it will be good for him in the long run. AND he prescribed him a new medication to, in the meantime, get rid of the infection that...SURPRISE...is working!!!! Today Alex took a nap in the recliner and, for the first time in a month, was able to breath normally. No gasping for air, no weezing, no snoring. :)

I am beginning to prepare for his surgery. I know it's a month away, but I want to be prepared because I hear that the recovery can be difficult for children. One thing I am doing is learning some sign language and teaching Alex so he can easily communicate with me after his surgery and not have to worry about talking with a sore throat. He knows some sign language already because he was a late talker and I used to sign with him when he was a baby. He still uses the sign for "more" to this day. The signs I am learning mostly are "survival" signs. Thirsty, water, juice, eat, hungry, applesauce, soup, sleep, potty, hurt/pain. Hopefully he'll pick up on it like he use to. I also want to make some cute cold/warm packs for him to use on his throat and ears post-op. Something with cars or trains on them. :)

Anyhow, I feel as if I have come down with some sort of stomach bug. Hopefully, I begin feeling better soon, as in ASAP! I have to get some groceries tomorrow, but will not be venturing out of the house if my stomach is still doing somersaults in there!